Who are we and what do we do?

OSTA provides services for all stakeholders in the areas of Science, Technology, and Innovation. We can plug you into a large network of the brightest Austrian minds in North America, as well as the most relevant STI stakeholders and decision makers in Austria. OSTA is your gateway to this large and vibrant pool of innovation and talent.

Making connections that really matter, we achieve our goal of constructing bridges between Austria and North America in the areas of Research and Innovation.

The OSTA does this by:

managing one of the largest diaspora networks in North America (RINA – Research and Innovation Network Austria), with close to 3,000 active members ranging from post-docs to professors at research institutions and CEOs of international industries/companies;

connecting you and your agency, institute, or company directly (or indirectly, through the professional networks of our members) with an extended network of members who are among the brightest minds in North America;

facilitating the exchange of researchers and innovators, as well as Austrian policy makers, with leaders of North American thought and innovation;

increasing the visibility of the outstanding research and innovation currently originating in Austria.

History and Organization of OSTA

The Office of Science and Technology Austria (OSTA) – Washington was established in 2001 at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC. The current Minister Plenipotentiary for Science & Technology serves as Director of the OSTA.

Representatives of these three funding ministries form OSTA’s Board of Directors, which sets strategic goals, does the financial planning, and oversees OSTA's work program and communication with the ministries.

By transforming the classical notion of science diplomacy into a dynamic professional instrument for internationalizing Austria's research and technology development, OSTA has become the hub of Austria’s Science, Technology, and Innovation initiatives in the US and Canada.